Safety lock for cuff links



Nov. 7, 1967 B. D. MclNTYRE 3,350,749

SAFETY LOCK FOR CUFF LINKS Filed OCL. 21, 1965 y j/ i545 "40 INVENTOR.

.Bfazzwer BY mi. /Q/@fMw/dg ,aftrap/M757 United States Patent 3,350,749 SAFETY LOCK FOR CUFF LINKS Brouwer D. McIntyre, Monroe, Mich., assignor to Monroe Auto Equipment Company, Monroe, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,678 Claims. (Cl. 24--97) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A cuff link having a head, a pair of arms, a pivot pin of rectangular cross section between the arms, a bar having -a circular opening pivoted on the pin, a rectangular slot laterally of the opening, and a spring in the bar and engaging the pivot pin so as to urge it into the slot when the bar is at right angles to the arm.

This invention relates generally to cu links and the like, and particularly to a cullc link having a releasable safety locking device.

In general, cutf links are held in place by a bar pivotally mounted between a pair of spaced arms secured to the underside of the cult link head. The bar pivotal axis is transverse to the arms so that when the bar is positioned parallel to the arms, the bar and arms can easily be inserted through or removed from aligned openings formed in a shirt cull. When the bar is positioned transverse to the arms, it prevents the cuff link from being Withdrawn from the cuit openings.

Spring detent means are provided between the bar and the arms serving to releasably hold the bar in preselected positions relative to the arms. This detent generally is formed by a leaf type spring disposed within the bar and positioned to engage a pin fixed to the arms and extending through the bar. This pin forms the pivot axis for the bar and generally is rectangular in cross section so that as the bar is turned thereon, the leaf spring engages a at side thereof at each 90 turning interval causing the bar to be releasably held in any one of four angularly disposed positions.

One of the problems arising in this construction is that the bar can easily be inadvertently turned from its position transverse to the arms since there is no positive lock therefor. This can occur when the user accidentaly strikes the bar against a surface or simply by the bar catching on clothing, etc. The result may be that the cuff link becomes disengaged from the shirt cuit openings and is lost. Thus, a need exists for a cuff link locking device adapted to prevent inadvertent disengagement and loss of the cui link.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a cuff link having a locking device which is positive but releasable in operation and which virtually eliminates the danger of inadvertent disengagement and loss of the euh link.

. Further objects include a cult link locking device of the above character which may include a stop for vpreventing turning movement of the cuit link pivotal bar and which in general embodies the conventional cuff link structure.

Additional objects include a cuff link locking device of the above character which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, durable in construction and reliable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of a cuir link embodying the present invention;

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FIG. 2 is an end view, partly in section, of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 1, showing the bar turned FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along the line 44 thereof;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the bar mounting structure;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a modied form of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the modied form ofthe present invention.

Broadly described, the present invention includes a cuff link or the like having depending arm means on which a bar means is pivotally supported for turning movement between a position substantially parallel to said arm means and a position substantially perpendicular to said arm means, a releasable locking means on said bar means and said arm means engageable to prevent. turning movement of said bar means relative to said arm means when said bar means is disposed in said perpendicular position, resilient means urging said locking means into engagement with each other whereby said bar means can be turned from said perpendicular to said parallel position only when force is applied against the action of said resilient means to disengage said locking means from each other.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1-5, a cult link embodying the present invention is indicated generally at 11 and is seen to include a decorative head 13 to the underside of which is secured a pair of depending spaced parallel arms 15, 17. In the device illustrated, the arms 15, 17 are secured to the head 13 by an integral interconnecting crosspiece 19 soldered or otherwise secured to the underside of the head 13.

A bar 21 is pivotally disposed between the outer ends of the arms 15, 17 by a pivot pin 23 extending freely through a pair of aligned generally circular central openings 25 in the bar 21. The pin 23 has a generally rectangular cross-section head 27 and body 29 and a square end 31, the head 27 and end 31 being received in complementary shaped openings 33, 35 formed in the arms 15, 17, respectively, thereby fixing the pin 23 against turning movement relative to the arms 15, 17 The end 31 of the pin 23 may be peened over as at 37 to prevent the pin from pulling out of the arms 15, 17

The bar 21 has a generally hollow construction and is provided with a leaf spring 39 disposed internally thereof. This spring 39 is constructed from any suitable matermial such as, for example, beryllium bronze and has an intermediate free section 41 and reversely curved end portions 43, 45 conned in the bar ends.

In assembly, the spring end portions 43, 45 are received in the outer ends of the bar 21 and the intermediate free section 41 engages and is flexed by the pin body 29. This results in a force being exerted on the bar 21 in a direction transverse to the plane of the spring free portion 41 and away from the pivot pin body 29. The spring free portion 41 remains in Contact with the pivot pin body 29 throughout turning movement of the bar 21 so that for each 90 turning interval ofV the bar 21, the spring free portion engages a flat side of the pivot pin body causing the bar to remain in this position until further turning pressure is applied to the bar 21.

To position the cult link in ones shirt cuits, the bar 21 generally is turned to position it parallel to the arms 15, 17 as shown in FIG. 3. The parallelly disposed arms 15, 17 and bar 21 are then inserted through the openings formed in the shirt cut to a position up to the culi link head 13. Thereafter, the bar 21 is turned to a position transverse to the arms 15, 17 as shown in FIG. 1 and Ua hereinafter referred to as the holding position, where it `holds the cuit link in place and the cutis together. The structure heretofore described is that generally used in cuff links commercially available today. With this structure, however, the bar 21 can be turned on the pivot pin 23, after it is in the holding position on ones shirt cuffs Simply by pressure against the bar 21 as when the user leans his arm against a hard surface, or by catching the :bar 21 on ones pocket, parts of clothing, etc. When sufficient force is applied to the bar 21 to overcome the force of the spring 39 bearing against one of the fiat surfaces of the pin body 29, the bar 21 turns and the cuff link can .disengage from the shirt cuff and become lost.

To overcome this undesirable condition, the cuff link of the present invention is provided with a safe, sure and easily operable positive locking device adapted to releasably secure the bar 21 in the holding position. Thus, as seen best in FIG. 4, a pair of aligned slots 47 are formed one in each side of the bar 21 adjacent one side of each of the openings 25, respectively. These slots 47 have a lateral dimension slightly larger than the smaller transverse dimension of the link body 29 and are adapted to receive this portion of the pin body 29. This occurs when the bar 21 is turned so as to be substantially transverse to the arms 15, 17 which is the holding position of the bar 21. Thus, when the bar 21 is turned to this position, i.e., transverse to the arms 15, 17 as shown in FIGS. l and 4, the spring 39 acting against the pivot pin 23 forces the bar 21 downwardly or away from the pin 23, and causes the pivot pin body 29 to be received in the slots 47. This yprevents any further turning of the bar 21 until the pivot pin body 29 is disengaged from the slot 47. Thus, once the bar 21 is locked in this position, it is thereafter released for turning movement by applying pressure thereon against the force of the spring 39. Thus, the bar 21 can only be turned by applying pressure thereon against the spring 39 and toward the pivot pin 23 and simultaneously turning the bar.

When the bar 21 is turned 180 from the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the spring 39 biases the bar upwardly or away from the pivot pin 23. This again causes the pivot pin body 29 to move into the slots 47, the only difference here being that downward pressure need be ap- .plied to the bar 21 against the force of the spring 39 along with a turning force to disengage the pivot pin body 29 and the slots 47 instead of upward pressure as described above. In either case, the result is the same and the danger of losing the cuff link by inadvertent disengagement thereof is virtually eliminated. In all other phases of turning movement, the bar 21 is relatively free andis held only by the force of the spring 39 acting against the pivot pin 23.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. This form is substantially identical with the form shown in FIGS. 1-5 so that like numerals indicate like parts. However, in this modifiedform, a stop is provided to limit turning movement of the bar 21. This stop includes a block or plate 49 preferably fixed to the arms 15, A17 and to the crosspiece 19. As shown, the plate 49 is positioned to engage the ends of the bar 21 so that the extent of turning movement of the bar is limited to slightly less than 180. However, the operation of this modified form of the present invention is identical to that illustrated and described above for FIGS. 1-5 with the exception that the bar 21has only one position transverse to the arms 15, 17. Thus, in this position, the bar 21 is biased downwardly away from the pivot pin 23 by the spring 39. Therefore, to release the bar 21 of this embodiment, it is always pushed upwardly toward the pivot pin 23 and the cuff link head 13 and turned simultaneously in either direction. When it is desired to again lock the bar 21, it is necessary only to turn the bar back to the holding position where the bar is positioned transverse to the arms 15, 17 so that the force of the spring 39 causes the slots 47 to move toward and receive the main body 29 of the pivot pin 23.

Thus, by the present invention there has been provided an effective cuff link locking device and while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail above, various additions, substitutions, modifications and omissions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as encompassed by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a culi link, a head, an arm depending from said head, a pivot pin having at least a portion of non-circular cross section fixed to the outer end of said arm, an integrally constructed bar having a central opening pivotally disposed on said pivot pin and rotatable thereon between a first position substantially parallel to said arm and a second position at right angles to said arm, there being a slot of non-circular cross section complementary to that of said pivot pin portion extending radially from said central bar opening in a direction at right angles to the extent of said bar, said slot interfitting with and receiving said pivot pin portion only when said bar is in said second position, and a spring having one portion engageable directly with said bar and another portion engageable directly with said pivot pin, said spring constantly urging said bar slot and said pivot pin portion toward each other in a direction at right angles to the extent of said bar but being yieldable in response to manual pressure on said bar to permit withdrawal of said pivot pin portion from said bar slot.

2. The combination according to claim 1, further provided with a second arm parallel to said rst arm, said pivot pin extending between the outer ends of said arms.

3. The combination according to claim 1, said pivot pin portion having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, said central bar opening being circular.

4. The combination according to claim 1, said bar being hollow, said spring comprising a leaf spring Within said bar having end portions engageable with the bar and its mid-portion engageable with said pivot pin.

5. In a cuff link, a head, a pair of arms depending from said head, a pivot pin extending between the outer ends of said arms and having a generally rectangular cross section, a hollow integrally constructed bar having a central generally circular opening pivotally disposed on said pivot pin for rotation between a first position substantially parallel to said arms and a second position at right angles to said arms, there being a rectangular slot extending radially from said bar opening in a direction at right angles to the extent Iof said bar and adapted to receive said pivot pin when said bar is in its second position, and a leaf spring in said bar, the ends of said spring engaging the ends of said bar and the central portion of said'spring engaging said pivot pin, said spring constantly urging said bar slot and pivot pin toward each other in a direction at right angles to said bar but being yieldable to permit withdrawal of said pivot pin from said slot in response to manual pressure on said bar in said right angle direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 866,187 9/1907 Brydges 24-97 2,236,788 4/1941 Bullock 24--102 2,461,845 2/1949 Osterberg 24-100 2,472,958 6/1949 Oldak g 24-97 FOREIGN PATENTS 942,631 9/ 1948 France.

DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A CUFF LINK, A HEAD, AN ARM DEPENDING FROM SAID HEAD, A PIVOT PIN HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION OF NON-CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION FIXED TO THE OUTER END OF SAID ARM, AN INTEGRALLY CONSTRUCTED BAR HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING PIVOTALLY DISPOSED ON SAID PIVOT PIN AND ROTATABLE THEREON BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID ARM AND A SECOND POSITION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID ARM, THERE BEING A SLOT OF NON-CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION COMPLENENTARY TO THAT OF SAID PIVOT PIN PORTION EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID CENTRAL BAR OPENING IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE EXTENT OF SAID BAR, SAID SLOT INTERFITTING WITH AND RECEIVING SAID PIVOT PIN PORTION ONLY WHEN SAID BAR IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION, AND A SPRING HAVING ONE PORTION ENGAGEABLE DIRECTLY WITH SAID BAR AND ANOTHER PORTION ENGAGEABLE DIRECTLY WITH SAID PIVOT PIN, SAID SPRING CONSTANTLY URGING SAID BAR SLOT AND SAID PIVOT PIN PORTION TOWARD EACH OTHER IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE EXTENT OF SAID BATR BUT BEING YIELDABLE IN RESPONSE TO MANUAL PRESSURE ON SAID BAR TO PERMIT WITHDRAWAL OF SAID PIVOT PIN PORTION FROM SAID BAR SLOT. 